From a discussion on another thread, Brettanomyces is like TCA - once you have experienced it, you are unlikely to forget it, unless you are one of the tasters insensitive to those experiences.

Can anyone suggest a perfect example of a Brett affected wine, preferably easily available now and reasonably priced, to act as an example for those who want to get a ranging shot for future reference?

I can suggest several older much more expensive bottles (several Beaucastels come to mind) but there must be something newer and less expensive.

The wine need not be available in Canada where I am, as this is not for me (I am very well acquainted with Brett) but for others not sure about what it is like.

Last edited by Bill Spohn on Wed May 10, 2006 10:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Bill, got just the wine for you. 98 Meinert Merlot from South Africa. It goes right up close to the line of being too dirty without crossing it, and it's an attractive brett as bretts go. I rather like it. As a test, it wouldn't leave any doubt on the table.

As for cost: how's free? I can bring it when you schedule that La Frenz party.

My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

I actually haven't had many bretty wines of late - I need to get back on the hunt for Brettanomyces. Jenise's example sounds particularly alluring, though I doubt it'd be a wine that's easy to find in Canada nowadays.

I tasted through the Couturri line about a year ago. Man! What a funky bunch of wines! It's all unsulfited as I recall, and I thought the wines tasted more like science experiments than anything else. There was definitely a lot of stuff growing in there, but I don't recall thinking about brett. I DO recall a ton of VA though.

Someone is coming up to do a Couturri tasting for us in a couple weeks. It'll be interesting to re-taste.

That seems like a nice samp-ling of wines that are out there for anyone that wants to acquaint themselves with Brett - once you'd experienced it, I doubt you'll forget what it is like.

I'd class myself as a moderate tolerator of brett - I certainly don't seek it out, but I can take a reasonable amount. Any more and I suddenly turn off - and it smacks of unclean winemaking practices. Unless you are a masochist, I can't see enjoying the massive amounts you sometimes get in poorly made wines especially in the Rhone, but in many other places as well.